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Chester Community Charter Graduates to Attend College Preparatory High Schools

$1.5 Million in Academic Scholarships Awarded

District Spending Plan Shows Average Cost Per Charter Student is Less Than Half that for Students Attending Traditional Public Schools

Chester, PA. – Chester Community Charter School continues to change lives in the perennially challenged Chester-Upland school district announcing today that 58 graduates from its class of 2013 will be attending high-performing high schools outside the district in the fall. The 58 students will be receiving a combined $1,530,000 in academic scholarships for the coming academic year. This remarkable achievement comes amidst reports that the cost for charter school students in the district for the coming school year will be less than half the cost per student in the traditional public school system. “To say we’re doing a lot more with a lot less is an understatement,” said CCCS Superintendent Dave Clark. “These kids are so impressive. You see the future in their eyes, in their enthusiasm. They are up against some terrible odds, yet they now have a bright future ahead of them.” The remarkable achievements of these graduates speaks volumes for the additional academic support provided by the school, extensive use of the technology and the freeing up of educators through the disciplined, business-inspired approach of the education management company, CSMI. “By taking the burden off the educators of all the administrative, budgeting and various management functions, and providing additional support in the form of grade directors and tutors, we are enabling teachers and principals to focus on the specific needs of these kids,” said Steve Lee, Chief Academic Officer of CSMI. “It’s a remarkable turnaround in a district that has suffered so much for so long.” These students will be attending a wide variety of high schools from the seventeen schools that issued acceptance notices. Among them are LaSalle College High School, Cardinal O’Hara, Wilmington Friends and the Milton Hershey School (Full list below). All of these schools send the overwhelming majority of their graduates onto college. Jim Arnold from Cardinal O’Hara, which has seen more than 60 Chester graduates over the years said that Chester Community Charter has an excellent track record of preparing kids for college preparatory schools. “These kids come here ready to learn, ready to compete, and are full of enthusiasm. We have great admiration for the work they’re doing over there at CCCS,” said Arnold A parent whose son will be attending Archmere Academy was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude remarking, “I’m just excited. I don’t know what to say. I’m overwhelmed.” She went on to praise the school saying, “Thank you for everything….I ‘m so excited Chester Community Charter has been so supportive with my son’s education.” Half the cost of public schools The draft Chester Upland School District budget indicates that the average cost per charter student is less than half of that for students attending traditional public schools. As recently reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the draft budget indicates that there will be approximately 4,412 charter and 2,317 public school students next year from the district. The district is slated to spend $59 million of its $123.9 million budget on Charter Schools, less than half of the total, even though charters are responsible for educating two-thirds of the children. That works out to $13, 372 per charter student versus $28,010 per student in the public school system. “The bottom line is the teachers, the students, the tutors, everyone connected to CCCS, we’re a team that is changing this community one student at time,” added Clark. “We are so proud of all of our graduates.”